A balanced cluster of stars

The Sun-Times All-Area team includes (from left) Matt Riggio of St. Viator, Kyle McCrudden of New Trier, Josh Beard of Schaumburg, Shawn Sloan of Geneva, Bryan Ciesiulka of Neuqua Valley, Tim Zimmer of Naperville Central, Raul Sandoval of Larkin, Alonso Flores of Bloom, Antonio Aguilar of Mount Carmel and Brett Petricek of Downers Grove South. Not pictured is Ata Ozbay of Barrington.
(John H. White/Sun-Times)

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The 2008 boys soccer season was as balanced a campaign as the area has seen in some time. There were a number of great individual players and teams, but no one player or one team really set itself apart from the other great ones.

That made the selections for the 2008 Sun-Times All-Area Team even tougher. Here's a closer look at the first team, led by Player of the Year Alonso Flores of Bloom:

Forwards

Bryan Ciesiulka, Neuqua Valley: The junior concluded the regular season with 14 goals and 13 assists. "Bryan is an exceptional passer and a very good shooter,"coach Jim Johns said. "His work rate is very high and never ever seems to tire."

Alonso Flores, Bloom: The senior scored 49 goals. "In a coach's career, you're lucky to get a player who is talented on the field, in the classroom and is such a pleasure to coach,"Bloom coach Kelly Gutierrez said. "Alonso is that kid. I hope that in my career, I can get at least one more kid like him."

Ata Ozbay, Barrington: The senior recorded 25 goals and 11 assists. "Ata is a very gifted player who possesses incredible speed, great technical skills and the ability to absolutely take over a game,"coach Scott Steib said. "Despite opponents knowing that he was our primary threat, and designing a game plan to stop him, Ata still managed to score a goal or assist on a goal in nearly every match."

Raul Sandoval, Larkin: The senior had 22 goals and 16 assists. "His commitment level and desire were second to none,"coach Ken Hall said. "He nearly doubled his assist total in one year to equal his other three years on varsity, which shows his commitment to winning and the team."

Shawn Sloan, Geneva: The senior finished with 29 goals and 11 assists. "Shawn is the ultimate prime-time player,"coach Ryan Estabrook said. "When the stakes are the highest, Shawn plays his best soccer. He is probably the most dynamic and consistent scorer in the state. He can score off the dribble, off the cross or from a set piece."

Midfielders

Antonio Aguilar, Mount Carmel: The senior concluded with 32 goals and 22 assists. "Tony was the engine of the team,"coach Adrian Calleros said. "Tony played midfield and forward for us, helping fill whatever need we had on a game-to-game basis."

Josh Beard, Schaumburg: The senior registered 19 goals and 10 assists. "His technical and physical abilities are second to none,"coach Hamid Mehreioskouei said. "He has the ability to not only make an impact on the game, but he is able to make the players around him excel. In my opinion, that sets him apart from everyone around him."

Kyle McCrudden, New Trier: The senior ended the regular season with 17 goals and six assists. "Kyle has been an integral part of New Trier's success the past three years,"coach Craig Fairbairn said. "His ability to impact a game in more ways than just scoring goals is an incredible gift that few possess."

Defenders

Matt Riggio, St. Viator: The senior's presence helped the Lions win 19 consecutive games at one point. "He was the heart of this team all year, pushing the younger players to play at a higher level by his own high level of play in practice or game,"coach Mike Taylor said. "Matt loves to play this game and only knows one way to play, and that is with everything he has."

Tim Zimmer, Naperville Central: The senior's play led to 13 shutouts. "Everyone played with more confidence with Tim out there,"coach Jay Konrad said. "We were able to play a 3-5-2 this year, because of him. Our players took risks they normally wouldn't, because Tim was behind them to clean up the mistakes."

Goalkeeper

Brett Petricek, Downers Grove South: The senior had a 0.75 goals-against average and 14 shutouts. "I do feel Brett was the best,"coach Jon Stapleton said. "He is the program's career shutout leader and has held his career opponents one goal or less in 55 of his 68 games. This has all been accomplished against some very good competition."